It’s Wednesday. You know what that means. We are back with another prospect report.
Since the promotions have slowed up somewhat, I’m going to look at a few players who have recently gotten the call, but also a look at how a few prospects who were recently sent down are doing.
Let’s not waste any time and get right to it.
Fantasy Baseball Prospect Report
Matt McLain (3B/SS – CIN)
The Cincy future looks bright, and one of the big pieces of that is McLain. McLain was the first of the big hitting prospects to make his arrival, and it just so helps that he’s doing it in Coors Field.
McLain hit a double in his first game, and while the bat is the driving force for him, he had a chance to show off the wheels, too. I’d pick him up in most 10-team leagues.
Vaughn Grissom (2B/SS – ATL)
Shoutout to Dave Funnell for this nugget, but since being sent down, Grissom is hitting .370 with a home run, a steal and four doubles.
The bat was never the question — at any level, really. For Grissom, it’s all about the ability — or lack thereof, really — to play defense.
There’s a really good buying opportunity for dynasty here especially, but even in deeper redraft leagues, I’d float the idea of acquiring him.
Brayan Rocchio (2B/SS – CLE)
The Guards are putting Jose Ramirez on the bereavement list, and the announced corresponding move is calling up Rocchio.
It’s about damn time, right, Lizzo?
Rocchio has been in the system since 2018, and he has nearly 1,000 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. This year, he’s slashing .338/.396/.486 in Toledo, aided by a .386 BABIP.
The speed potential is intriguing for Rocchio, and he’s a solid glove for real-life purposes. It doesn’t look like he’ll stay for long, but if you need some short-term speed, feel free to grab him.
Oscar Colas (OF – CHW)
Since being sent down, Colas has found his groove again — the one that made the White Sox insert him into their starting lineup out of Spring Training.
Colas is hitting .413/.462/.674 with one homer and 23 runs+RBIs since his demotion, and he could soon find himself back up with the big-league club.
I’d put some feelers out on him.
Eury Perez (SP – MIA)
Another week, another rookie pitcher who is using up a ton of FAAB. This time, it’s one who has the highest ceiling of anyone we’ve seen so far.
Mind you, he just turned 20, and he’s never thrown more than 77 innings in a single season, so 95ish may be all for him this season.
But still, he’s fun and he has elite-level stuff. His slider, especially, is GIF-worthy.
Perez struck out seven in his debut, resulting in him throwing just 4.2 innings.
Luis Ortiz (SP – PIT)
The Pirates called up Ortiz when Vince Velasquez went down with an injury, and he broke into the rotation right away. He was bailed out in his first start, as his 3.60 ERA is nearly a third of his 9.31 xERA and 6.11 FIP.
I’m writing this ahead of his start Tuesday night, so there could be a different tune by the time this is up on the site.
AJ Smith-Shawver (SP – ATL)
Who needs Double-A, right? Obviously, not Smith-Shawver, who is becoming a quick-rising prospect for fantasy and real-life purposes alike.
After a seven-inning stint in Double-A, the Braves moved him up to Triple-A, with his first start coming Friday.
He’s been a quick mover, as the 20-year-old has just 98 innings of ball pitched since 2021. We could see him in Atlanta sooner than anyone expected.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
All stats are accurate as of Tuesday evening, May 16.
